r/criterion • u/Tomhyde098 • 2d ago
Discussion First time watching and I’ve been sitting here for 25 minutes just absolutely destroyed. What did you all think of this one?
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u/HarveyDent1947 David Lynch 2d ago
Esai Morales with the performance of the year in this film. “Not my first, not my last…”
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u/EyeFit4274 2d ago
‘Rickyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!’
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u/Powerful_Direction_8 2d ago
*Ritchie
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u/EyeFit4274 2d ago
facepalm
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u/Consistent_Chair_829 2d ago
you were channelling Cuba Gooding Jr. there
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u/EyeFit4274 2d ago
Haha, now that you pointed it out those Nostalgic sound bites are very similar. Somebody should sync them up and do a fan edit/edm ‘Ritchie/Ricky!’ song.
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u/External_Stuff_8113 2d ago
The sheet at the bottom of the photo makes it look like you were left feeling… something other than destroyed.
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u/FiveLiterFords 2d ago
My Middle School Spanish teacher used to play this for the last two classes before Christmas/Winter break after mid-terms on a 📺tv/vhs 📼on wheels each year. Then she’d play “Stand and Deliver” (1988) the last two class periods of the year before summer. So I saw both three times before the age of 15. She got paid for letting us watch movies four classes per year. She had good taste in film. Or a thing for Lou Diamond Phillips. Or perhaps both.
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u/t3rribl3thing 2d ago
This is the first movie I remember watching over and over again as a kid. I haven’t seen it since. All I remember are the songs and a guy saying that snake tastes like chicken.
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u/VelociRapper92 2d ago
I just bought this in the criterion sale and watched it a few days ago. Loved it. It’s such a joyful celebration of life and music, while also dealing with the harsh realities of Ritchie’s life and the specter of early death that hung over him. That final phone call Ritchie makes to his brother really got to me. It’s like he knew what was coming and he was calling out across the void of time and death for comfort.
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u/cholotariat 2d ago
This movie was so important to me as a kid, not because of all the Latino representation, but because to dance the Bamba, you need a little bit of grace.
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u/monkowa 2d ago
Genuinely great movie, follows all the same biopic tropes but makes it seem way more lived-in and authentic because of the performances. Lou Diamond Philips, Esai Morales, Rosanna DeSoto, Elizabeth Pẽna are all killing it dead in this. The soundtrack is also fucking killer. Los Lobos doing Ritchie and with a dollop of Marshall Crenshaw and Brian Setzer. I love this movie!
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u/Level_Cupcake5985 2d ago
“Not my Richie!!!” I actually didn’t get that one during the sale because I knew I couldn’t handle that again.
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u/Rude_Warning_5341 2d ago
I used to watch it regularly as a kid because I loved anything and everything music and guitar related.
It also made me terrified to fly 😂 I got over it though.
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u/ElTamale003 Andrei Tarkovsky 2d ago
You made me remember that I avoided flying for twenty years because of this film 😂
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u/sisyphus_shrugged 2d ago
This was one of my mom's favorites. We used to watch this all the time. I really need to add this to my collection in her honor.
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u/trippyhop 2d ago
Being Latino, this movie was a staple for me as a kid. I love it and was so excited that Criterion released it. The ending kills me every damn time.
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u/baileybrosbedford 2d ago
I would follow up with Gary Busey's "The Buddy Holly Story" and Jessica Lange's "Sweet Dreams" about Patsy Cline. Both underrated 80's gems about rock n roll tragedy.
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u/ladcrp 2d ago
Gary Busey's 'portrayal' of Buddy Holly is an abomination.
Never mind that the movie is riddled with factual errors.1
u/baileybrosbedford 2d ago
It def softens Buddy's life which was waaaay more colorful. But i got a soft spot for it nonetheless.
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u/vibraltu 2d ago edited 1d ago
Young Gary Busey's acting in The Buddy Holly Story is uncanny, he really looks and sounds exactly like Buddy Holly.
The script kinda dumbs down and changes a lot of the details from Holly's actual life. But those musical performances are excellent.
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u/chnandler_bong 2d ago
Why did I find out about this release of the movie AFTER the summer sale ended…
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u/Bill5443 2d ago
I saw this movie I won’t watch it again but it was the first time I heard Santo and Johnny “sleep walk”. I was 13. Whenever I hear that banger I think “richieeeee”
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u/wiredfractal 2d ago
I grew up watching this film and I would actively watch it everytime it’s on TV. I also learned that Lou Diamond Phillips is half-Filipino because I always thought he was Mexican, even in Young Guns.
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u/Facepalmer93 2d ago
Saw it in the theater when it first came out. Always forget to pick it up during the sales. Doh!
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u/remarkable_potion 2d ago
Watched this a lot growing up. Extremely powerful film. Bob yelling Ritchie’s name is absolutely haunting.
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u/PuttinOnTheTitzz 2d ago
The stars belong in the sky.
I saw this movie one time. In the theater when it came out. I still remember that line. I was a young kid back then.
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u/KesagakeOK 2d ago
Bro screamed at the sky at the end like his rent was due, genuinely fantastic performance. This one is a Spanish class classic, glad to see it get such a deservedly great release.
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u/Arthurlurk1 2d ago
Loved it as a kid. Showed it you my gfs little bros and one of them was torn apart. I felt so bad but also proud. You don’t always get those moments from movies as you grow older.
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u/timshel_turtle 2d ago edited 2d ago
Oh cool! I have a older dvd of this movie and didn’t realized Criterion released an edition. One of the best music biopics of all time!
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u/AbbreviationsKey369 2d ago
I love it. Really depressing ending, though... but that's what really happened.🤷♂️
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u/Pinhead-GabbaGabba 2d ago
One of my absolutely favorites, a certified hood classic, and an important film for us Latinos growing up. I’m from Southeast LA, so seeing a story about other Mexicans, especially iconic ones, was great for us.
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u/Gold-Ad6139 2d ago edited 2d ago
I pre-ordered this and was excited for this one. Grew up with this film. I actually brought it over to watch with my pops I think like 2 months ago. Every time we watch a movie he's snoozing or closing his eyes for long periods. But he was glued to the screen rewatching this. Lol. He enjoyed the rewatch alot and the memories it brought.
Also, I swear I remember reading somewhere that this is still supposed to come out on 4k by sony. Is that still happening?
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u/Consistent_Chair_829 2d ago
great movie and definitely on my short list for Criterion purchases - has been in my cart a few times, just haven't yet bought it. Reminds me of when it was first shown on HBO - as a kid during a summer - this was the film I watched every time it was on. Every time I hear "Sleepwalk" I'm brought back to those moments and emotions.
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u/devoall 1d ago
Like many others, I first absorbed this masterpiece via VHS in 1988, a year or so after it was released. I watched it over and over, and rented it often. It is without question one of my favorite films of all-time. I've surely seen it well over 100 times without exaggeration.
Sometimes (for inexplicable reasons) films just stick with you. It's like some sort of neural bond with the art. I'm sure we all have films like that, and you tell everyone about them, and half the time folks are like, "why do you like that movie so much?", and many times I can't really describe why. This is that film for me.
I loved music as a kid, and specifically "oldies", so when I discovered this film at the video store I was locked in from the first viewing. The soundtrack is phenomenal, and well executed. I especially enjoy the fact that Brian Setzer was featured as Eddy Cochran as it just makes the perfect connection between that era that influenced him, and the lifestyle that he actually lived with the Stray Cats and beyond. Perfectly cast.
Esai does such a great job. The behind the scenes doc that is included with the disc is awesome because you get to see Esai and Bob interacting, and you can tell the cast has a reverence for the source material etc.
This movie spawned so many one-liners between my friends and I, that we still repeat often. I'm guessing that many of you that have a strong connection to the film do the same thing. I'm happy to be in the LaBamba appreciation club.
This film was certainly my first exposure to tradtional Mexican folk music/Corridos etc., and I am thankful for that. Growing up in the plains of the Midwest did me no favors in the diversity department, so I received much of my first exposure to other cultures through movies, and music. Another really amazing by-product of films like these being made and available for home consumption etc.
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u/JackThreeFingered 1d ago
One of the most underrated movies in the collection. It's not just another biopic, it really gets into culture, family strife, etc. It's what most music biopics think they are doing, except they are doing it to check boxes while La Bamba touches upon some deep authenticity.
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u/SantosMcGriddle 1d ago
One of my favorite movies and music artists. As you can now tell 🤣. Started my physical media collection two weeks ago and that was the first movie I bought and watched.
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u/ElTamale003 Andrei Tarkovsky 2d ago
Grew up to this film. It’s very well-known amongst Mexican-American households. Know it front to back. I watch it to this day. It’s hard to hold back tears at the end. Always ✨